Portable electric lantern



C. S. RHOADS, JR.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC LANTERN. APPHCAIION FILED MAY 27, 1920.

1 ,432, 907, Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

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CHARLES STANLEY RHOADS, 313., OF YONKERS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERNELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC LANTERN.

Application filed May 27, 1920. Serial No. 384,530.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES STANLEY RHoADs, J r., a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Yonkers, in the county of Westchester, Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPortable Electric Lanterns, of which the following is a full, clear,concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements n portable electric lanterns ofthe type in which the illuminating elements and the source ofelectricity are embodied in a unitary structure.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a lantern of this typewhich is adaptable for use as a headlight and running lamp for vehiclesand also as a portable trouble or work lamp.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, andhereafter described in detail, is especially adapted for use onself-propelled railway hand cars. The regulations under which such handcars are operated require that in night runn1ng they be provided with awhite headlight and a red tail-light and since the cars are used forinspection and repair purposes a portable trouble and work lamp is alsomade a part of the cars equipment. T satisfy these needs in the mostpractical and inexpensive manner, the improved lantern here1n has beendevised, which comprises a container having feet for supporting it uponthe tray of the hand car and with a handle for carrying it. A pluralityof electric dry cells are enclosed and held against movement within thecontainer which supports at one end a headlight and at its other end aitail-llght having a red lens, switching means be1r 1g provided forconnecting these lamps in cir cuit with the dry cells. It is to beunderstood, however, that the improved lantern herein is not confined tothe use previously described but may be employed for a large variety ofpurposes without depar tlng from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Another object of the present improve ment is to so construct a lanternof this type that ready access to the dry cells is afforded for theirremoval or replacement.

Other features of the present improvement are described in detail in thefollowing specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved lantern, a substantialportion of the container being broken away to show the relativepositions of the headlight, tail-light, electricbatteries, and switchingmechanism;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the lantern taken on a linejust in rear of the headlight.

Referring now to the drawings in detail in which like reference numeralsdesignate similar parts throughout the several views, 1 represents acylindrical container which is illustrated as being a metal can havingits open end provided with an annular flange 2. A headlight 3 which isillustrated as being of the well-known automobile type'is fitted Withinthe open end of the container a distance sufficient to bring an annularflange 4 formed on the headlight into contact with the annular flange 2formed on the casing 1. A rim '5 hinged to the container and held inclosed position by means of a strip of metal 6 attached thereto, whichprojects over the casing and is secured thereto by means of a screw 7,serves to hold the headlight casing and lens therefor in the positionillustrated in Figure 1.

The end wall 8 of the container 1 is provided with a central opening 9to receivea red lens tail-light 10 of the usual type employed onautomobiles. The casing of the tail-light 10 is flared and carries ascrewthreaded bolt 11 which projects through an opening formed ina-U-shaped bracket 12 that straddles the tail-light casing and has itsends in contact with the inner face of the end wall 8. A nut 13 threadedon the bolt-11 serves to draw the tail-light casing and the U-shapedbracket together and thereby clamp the flared portion of the tail-lightcasing against the edge of the opening 9.

Five electric dry cells 14 of standard construction are fitted withinthe container 1' in the position illustrated in Figure 2, in which thecells are arranged in a ring with their sides parallel and in contactwith the inner wall of the container and their ends in contact with theend wall 8 thereof. It has been found in practice that five dry cellsconnected in series will supply suflicient current for operating theheadlight and taillight for a considerable length of time and preferablyno larger number is employed in order that the weight of the lamp may beas small as possible.

Due to the hinge connection between the rim 5 and the container 1, theformer may be swung upwardly and the headlight re moved to permitremoval. or replacement of the dry cells within the container.

In the construction illustrated in the drawings, the diameter of thecontainer 1 is illustrated as being larger than is necessary to receivefive dry cells, so in order to hold the cells in the positionillustrated in Figure 2, a transverse rod 15 is secured to the innerwalls of the container 1 in a position to engage the dry cells 14 andprevent any upward or downward movement thereof. By using a container ofthe size illustrated a standard form of headlight and standard dry cellsmay be employed, but it is to be understood that the size of thecontainer 1 and headlight may be made such that the container will be ofa size to just receive a ring of five or six standard dry cells, orspecially constructed dry cells may be employed, in which cases the rod15 would be unnecessary.

As previously described, the dry cells 1.4 are held against movement upor down by means of the transverse rod 15, and means is provided forpreventing any outward movement of the said cells which comprises a disk16 which is positioned between the terminal ends of the dry cells andthe headlight 3. An opening is made in the disk 16 to receive a socket17, into which a terminal plug 20 isfitted to supply current to thecentrally disposed electric bulb 2 1 of the headlight 3.

A suitable double-throw switch 18 is secured on the end wall 8 of thecontainer 1, the terminals 19 of which project into the space above thetransverse rod 15. able wiring connections (not shown) connect theterminals 19 with the terminals 20 and 21 of the headlight and thetail-light respectively, these wiring connections being arranged so thatin one operative position the switch connects four of the dry cells 14in circuit with the lamps and in its other operative position connectsall five of the dry cells in circuit with the said lamps. Due to thiswiring arrangement, one of the dry cells may be used as a reserve andthrown in circuit with the other four when the latter become dischargedsutliciently to affect the brilliancy of the lamps.

Secured to the casing 1 are feet 22 and a handle 23 which permits thelantern to stand upon a fiat surface or to be carried and directed inmuch the same manner as a flashlight is used. When the lantern hereinillustrated and described is used on a selfpropolled railway handcar,the feet 22 support it on the tray of the car With the headlight 3directed to the front and the tail-light l0 directed to the rear. Whilethe handcar is in motion, these lights serve as Suitrunning lamps. Bymeans of the handle 23, the lantern may be lifted and light thrown inany desired direction for inspecting the rails, switches, telephone andtelegraph wires, etc. After the handcar has been re moved from the trackand repair or construction work is to be done, the headlight 3 is usedas a work lamp.

What I claim is:

1. A. portable work lamp comprising a cylindrical container, a pluralityof cylindrical dry cells mounted on their sides therein, a headlight anda tail-light carried by said container and positioned adjacent opposideends of said dry cells, switching means for connecting said lights incircuit with said dry cells, and a handle and feet secured to saidcontainer.

2. A portable work lamp comprising a container, a plurality of dry cellsmounted on their sides therein, a headlight carried by said containerand adjacent the terminal ends of said dry cells, a tail-light carriedby said container and adjacent the bottoms of said dry cells, andswitching means for connecting said lights in circuit with said drycells.

3. A portable work lam comprising a cylindrical container having an openand a closed end. a headlight mounted within the open end of saidcontainer, a plurality of cylindrical dry cells mounted on their sideswithin said container, a tail-light positioned at the closed end of saidcontainer, and switching means mounted on the closed end of saidcontainer for connecting the lamps in circuit with the source ofelectric current.

+1. An electric lantern comprising a container having an open and aclosed end, a plurality or electric dry cells mounted within thecontainer and arranged in a ring with their sides parallel with theinner wall of the container and their ends in contact with the closedend thereof. a headlight mounted within the open end of said container,a taillight projecting through an opening formed in the closed end ofsaid container and fitted within the ring formed by said dry cells, andswitching means carried by said container for connecting the lamps incircuit with the dry cells.

An electric lantern comprising a container having an open and a closedend, a headlight mounted within the open end of said container, atail-light projecting through an opening formed through the center ofthe closed end of said container, means engaging the inner face of theclosed end of the container for securing said taillight thereto. aplurality of electric dry cells mounted on their sides within saidcontainer and arranged in a ring with their ends in contact with theclosed end of said container and adjacent the said tail-light, and meanscarried by said container for connecting said lights in circuit withsaid electric dry cells.

6. An electric lantern comprising a container having an open and aclosed end, a battery mounted therein, a headlight mounted within theopen end of said container, a tail-light projecting through an openingformed in the closed end of said container, a bracket engaging the innerface of of the closed end of said container and attached to saidtail-light for rigidly; securing it within said opening, and switchingmeans for connecting said lamps in circuit with said battery.

7. An electric lantern comprising a container, a plurality of electricdry cells mounted within the container and arranged in a ring with theirsides parallel with the wall of the container, a head light carried 7 bythe container and a tail light projecting through an opening formed inthe container and fitted in the ring formed by said dry cells, andswitching means carried by said container for connecting the lamps incircuit with the dry cells.

, 8. An electric lantern comprising, a container, a plurality ofelectric dry cells mounted on their sides within said container andarranged in a ring, a head light carried by the said container, a taillight projecting through an opening formed in the container and fittedin the ring formed by said dry cells, and means carried by saidcontainer for connecting said lamps in circuit with said dry cells.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 22nd day of May A.1)., 1920.

CHARLES STANLEY RHOADS, Jr.

